Scott Riordan

2023 Senior Coach

The Coolangatta Football Club are proud to announce our 2022 Premiership Captain Scott Riordan as Senior Men’s Coach for 2023.

It’s business as usual at Cooly with our 2022 Premiership Coach Matt Ashenden accepting the role of Director of Coaching.

Ashenden commented on the appointments:

“It’s been one of the great honours of my life to be coach of the Coolangatta football club the past two seasons. I cannot think of anybody who embodies the culture of the club better than Scott Riordan. Riordo is beloved by the playing group and is an inspired choice as the next senior coach of the club.”

Ashenden continued:

“I have no doubt he will continue the amazing, welcoming environment that Cooly has and he will work tirelessly to ensure we have continued success. I cannot wait to work alongside him as Director of Coaching in 2023.”

Congratulations

Riordo, we look forward to having you at the helm as we strive for back-to-back Flags at Cooly.

AGE: 33
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: Inaugural
Recruited from: Numurkah Football Club
Coolangatta Results: Premiership Captain in 2022

KANE HALL

2023 Reserves Coach

Coolangatta Football Club has the honour to announce Kane Hall as our Reserves Coach for 2023.

Kane is a legend within our Club and has led our Colts U18’s for the last 2 seasons, having taken them to a Grand Final on both occasions.

In 2021, Kane and the boys finished equal first on the home and away ladder and qualified for the Grand Final, only to have to forfeit because of Covid-19 restrictions preventing the team from travelling across the border to Surfers Paradise to play. Last year in 2022, they went a step further finishing Runners Up.
Kane is bringing these boys up to senior football for 2022, with 9 Colt’s players debuting in the Senior Men’s team during season 2021 & 10 players in 2022.

AGE: 44
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 3
Recruited from: Tweed Coolangatta Junior AFL Club
Coolangatta Results: Grand Finalists (Colts) 2021 & 2022

Matt Ashenden

Director of Coaching

Coolangatta Tweed Heads AFL is pleased to announce the appointment of our 2022 Seniors Premiership Coach Matthew Ashenden as our Director of Coaching for Season 2023.

Matthew will now share  with our new 2023 Coaches his coaching experience as both a school sports coach at a local Sports Excellence School, specialising in AFL as well as coaching senior AFL football within Southern Queensland.

Matthew has spent the past 2 seasons as our Senior Coach having led our Senior Men’s team in 2022 to their first Premiership in 19 years. Prior to that he had five season at Kenmore Bears in our own Div 2 Competition with appearances in finals in every season across both the senior and reserve grades, finishing up with Division 2 premierships for both Kenmore Senior and Reserve Grade men for season 2020.

AGE: 39
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 3
Recruited from: Kemore AFL Club (QFA Division 2, Queensland)
Premierships: Kenmore AFL Seniors 2020, Kenmore AFL Reserves 2020
Coolangatta Results: Premiership Coach 2022 (Seniors), Grand Final (Colts) 2021 &  Preliminary Final (Seniors and Reserves) 2021

CRAIG SALISBURY

FOOTBALL MANAGER
PLAYER WELFARE OFFICER

The Club is pleased to announce the re-appointment of Craig Salisbury agreeing to assist the Coolangatta Football Club by taking on the dual roles of Football Manager and Player Welfare Officer for season 2023.

Craig has vowed to be a strong, vocal advocate for the playing group either as an individual or from a team perspective more generally with the Coaching staff and the Management Committee.

In the football space, Craig has a wealth of experience coaching both men and women’s football at a junior level with a number of junior premierships to his name.

AGE: 48
Recruited from: Tweed Coolangatta Junior AFL Club
Coolangatta Results: Preliminary Final 2021 (Seniors and Reserves)
Grand Final (Colts) 2021

James Royes

Assistant Coach

James has come to his first season at Coolangatta Football Club via the Gold Coast Suns Academy and a number of seasons playing with Broadbeach QAFL, where James played 76 QAFL Games, kicked 25 goals and was named in the Broadbeach QAFL Team of the Decade (2010-2019).

James has been brought to Coolangatta to assist the coaching staff with his physical approach to the game as well as his ability to inspire others with his bruising tackles.

James’s experience and versatility saw him play across all areas of the ground and this experience will be a tremendous asset to the future of the Coolangatta Football Club and especially our youth development.

AGE: 29
Years Coaching Coolangatta AFL: 2
Recruited from: Broadbeach QAFL

NICK PLUMMER

WATER DISTRIBUTION ENGINEER

Years of Volunteering with Coolangatta Tweed AFL: 12
Awards: Club Life Membership 2021

GLENN PIDGEON

WATER DISTRIBUTION ENGINEER

Years of Volunteering with Coolangatta Tweed AFL: 11